중앙데일리

Rains flood North Chungcheong

July 17,2017

More than 50 buses, cargo trucks and excavators parked near Bogang Stream, Jeungpyeong County, North Chungcheong, are partially submerged or lost in the water as the stream flooded Sunday during the downpour. [YONHAP]

At least two people died, one went missing, trains stopped running and more than 500 houses, markets and factories were flooded in North Chungcheong on Sunday.

From the early morning hours to 3 p.m., it rained a total of 290.1 millimeters (11.4 inches) in Cheongju, 225 millimeters in Jeungpyeong County, 173 millimeters in Goesan County and 149.5 millimeters in Jincheon County, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA).

The rainfall in Cheongju was the most the city has had in one day since Aug. 25, 1995, when it rained 293 millimeters. In the city on Sunday, it rained 91.8 millimeters per hour, the most on record for July.

The KMA on Sunday morning issued heavy rain warnings in Cheongju, Jeungpyeong and Jincheon, Goesan, and heavy rain advisories in Jecheon, Danyang County, Eumseong County and Chungju.

The KMA issues a heavy rain advisory in a region when the precipitation is expected to exceed 70 millimeters in the next six hours or 110 millimeters in the next 12 hours.

The KMA issues a heavy rain warning in a region when the precipitation is expected to exceed 110 millimeters in the next six hours or 180 millimeters in the next 12 hours.

The Cheongju city government issued landslide warnings in parts of the city. An 80-year-old female resident of Cheongju died in a landslide that swept her house around 9 a.m. Sunday.

A 58-year-old woman also died in a landslide in the city at around 3:12 p.m.

A 78-year-old male resident of Boeun County, southeast of Cheongju, went missing in the morning after he went out to check on his rice paddy. Authorities had not located his body as of press time Sunday.

All trains on the Chungbuk Line, which runs from Daejeon Station and Jecheon Station, stopped running from 10:30 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. after tracks were flooded. The Korea Railroad Corporation restored the tracks before recommencing train operations.

The water level of Musim Stream rose to 4.1 meters around 11 a.m. Sunday, flooding 6.5 kilometers (4 miles) of a road adjacent to it. Authorities blocked 13 entrances to the road.

More than 500 cases of flooding were reported to the North Chungcheong Fire Department on Sunday morning. Authorities estimated about 300 people suffered property damage from floods in Cheongju.

In Cheongju, a parking lot of a building near Seoknam Stream and another of an apartment near Bokdae Stream flooded, though not many cars were damaged as they were evacuated from the buildings.

When Gagyeong Stream flooded, however, some 50 cars and 20 buildings were flooded.

The first floor of Cheongju Unho High School and the cafeteria of Cheongju Jungang Girls High School were also flooded.

More than 50 buses, cargo trucks and excavators parked near Bogang Stream, Jeungpyeong, were partially submerged or lost in the flood.

Three factories in Jincheon, including a 660 square-meter tire factory, were also flooded. The local fire department spent three hours draining the factory.

Authorities banned traffic from entering flooded streets in Cheongju, including the Yongam underground roadway, Seocheongju Bridge intersection and an intersection near a Lotte Hi-Mart branch in Bunpyeong-dong.

North Chungcheong provincial government on Sunday began restoration work at six flooded roads and six other roads and facilities affected by landslides.

“The local government is monitoring the weather condition and sites that could be at risk by the downpour,” said an official of the provincial government. “We will do all we can to minimize damages from the rain and floods.”